When Does the Baseball Postseason Start?
The Major League Baseball postseason starts October 1st. Find out what teams are in and when the games are so you can catch all the action.
Introduction
The baseball postseason is an exciting time for fans of the sport. The regular season comes to an end and the best teams in each league face off in a series of playoff games. But when does the postseason start?
The answer depends on the format of the playoffs. In recent years, the playoffs have typically started in early October. However, this can vary depending on when the regular season ends. For example, if the regular season ends on a Sunday, the playoffs may start on that Monday.
The first round of the playoffs is known as the Wild Card Game. This is a single game played between the two teams with the best record in each league who did not win their division. The winner of this game advances to the next round, while the loser is eliminated from contention.
The next round is known as the Division Series. This is a best-of-five series played between the winners of each division and the Wild Card Game. The winner of this series advances to the League Championship Series.
The League Championship Series is a best-of-seven series played between the winners of each divisional series. The winner of this series advances to the World Series.
The World Series is a best-of-seven series between the winners of each League Championship Series. The team that wins four games in this series is crowned world champion!
The regular season
The Major League Baseball regular season is 162 games long, which is 18.5 weeks long. The earliest a team can clinch a postseason berth is September 1, which has happened 12 times in MLB history. The latest a team can clinch is the final day of the regular season, which has happened four times in MLB history.
The postseason
The Major League Baseball postseason is a tournament held after the conclusion of the MLB regular season. The losers of this tournament are eligible to compete in the following year’s postseason. The postseason has been held since 1903, when the National League (NL) and American League (AL) winners met in a best-of-nine World Series.
Conclusion
After a long regular season, the MLB Postseason finally arrives.
The top team from each division (the division winners) automatically qualify for the postseason. Then, the two second-place teams with the best records (the wild card teams) also qualify for the postseason.
The division winners are seeded 1-3 in their respective leagues, and the wild card teams are seeded 4-5. The postseason starts with two wild card games, which are played between the two wild card teams from each league. The winner of each wild card game moves on to the Division Series.
The Division Series is a best-of-five series between the division winner and the wild card team. The winner of each Division Series moves on to the League Championship Series.
The League Championship Series is a best-of-seven series between the leaders of each league. The winner of each League Championship Series moves on to the World Series.
The World Series is a best-of-seven series between the champions of each league. The team that wins four games in the World Series is crowned the MLB champion.
